Nightwish have announced that the much anticipated forthcoming LP "Imaginaerum" will be released in Finalnd on November 30, 2011 and the rest of Europe on December 2, 2011. No North American release date has been announced as of yet.

The first single "Storytime" is scheduled for release on November 11, 2011.

Keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen had these comments about the album's artwork (seen below): "Originally, this was supposed to be the centerfold image of the album but once I and some mates saw the final image, we immediately knew that the hunt for the actual cover artwork was over. I believe this is Toxic Angel's finest piece of work yet, capturing the deepest essence of what Imaginaerum is all about. The power of imagination and places of wordless wonders, magic and awe, of longing and the surreal. I emphasized from the start that not a single living thing should be seen in the picture, and Toxic was able to create that sublime but desolate, 'all this waiting for you, and you only' - feeling. All you need is the courage to enter."

Holopainen also provided track-by-track teasers as it relates to the album's concept:

"1. TAIKATALVIThis world is but a canvas for our imagination.

2. STORYTIMEHow would it feel to take a midnight flight with a snowman through the most wondrous landscapes, like in the classic animated Yuletide film? The meaning of our very existence is created though stories, tales and imagination. They are at the very core of humanity.

3. GHOST RIVERLIFE is the ultimate privilege; a river filled with wonders and horrors. Love, sorrow, beauty, evil and temptation. And we need them all to survive and enjoy the journey.Good, Evil, Pain and Pleasure - members one of another.

5. I WANT MY TEARS BACKLonging for things long gone, but still possible to bring back.

6. SCARETALEMonsters in the closet, squealing pigs, hordes of spiders and flesh-ripping harpies. A peak into childhood´s unforgettable nightmares- a vivid and twisted circus sideshow.

7. ARABESQUEA catharsis to a nightmare. Giving birth through a death-dance.

8. TURN LOOSE THE MERMAIDSWe quietly witness as her dying loved one takes his last journey...forever now, a haunting moment of beauty and comfort.

9. REST CALMMemories and hope are two things no-one can ever take away from you. The sweetness of my own past is a bottomless chest of comfort and inspiration.

10. THE CROW, THE OWL AND THE DOVE"Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me Truth"- Henry David ThoreauLove is everything, and only Truth is our guide to a deeper state.

11. LAST RIDE OF THE DAYThe theme park is just about to close, but the rollercoaster runs one more time and you get to take the last ride by yourself. It`s dark and the fireworks have just started. Moments such as these are portals to infinite dreams, of deep realisation, and ultimately the thrilling awareness of being a speck of dust in this vast swirling cosmos.

12. SONG OF MYSELFOur homage and version of Walt Whitman`s transcendental celebration of life and existence, delving deep into a personal catharsis.

13. IMAGINAERUMThank you for sharing the ride and we hope to welcome you back soon. The stage is lit, and the Magnificent Play is beginning..."

Well, I've already ordered a presale bundle (a whopping $70 after converting from the Euro), and the sale's already been finalized, so it damn well better arrive at my house.Of course, I don't see why a foreign order wouldn't arrive.